Criminal is considered one of the forebears of the booming true-crime podcasting movement. Launched almost three years ago, the North Carolina-based, biweekly series bills itself as a podcast full of “stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” Listen to a few episodes and you’ll find that’s true. Host Phoebe Judge and producer Lauren Spohrer have investigated crime from all sorts of different angles, from talking to convicted thieves to interviewing someone who helps people commit suicide. Each episode is uniquely fascinating, and every Criminal listener has his or her favorite. Even Judge and Spohrer have sentimental ties to some episodes.
During their recent tour, Judge and Spohrer stopped by the A.V. Club offices. We sat down with them for a quick interview before hopping into a lightning round of trivia about famous crimes, from the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby to Lincoln’s assassination.